Sara Harberson Application Nation

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have 2 kids at HYPSM (unhooked) from an overrepresented geopgraphic area and didn't hire any help. They had the typical high academic stats, aren't athletes, didn't participate in academic olympiads, and had strong, but not exceptional ECs. I think they were honest, authentic and it showed through their essays. Recs probably were also very strong.

agree, waste of money to pay for these services. Unhooked kids at ivy/ivy+ happens organically if they really are cream of the crop in their high school/region.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone pay for the 1-1 essay topics and 1-1 essay review?

Was it worth it?

I mean, based on the comments here, I'm guessing it is NOT worth it.

How much does she charge for this?

I was also wondering about the essay editing.

Just read a horrible criticism of her editing from a kid on Reddit too. So I’m reluctant to pay the $$$ until I get more direct feedback?

I think there are parents waxing on and on about how beautifully edited the essays are - which concerns me. I don’t think the essay is supposed to look “perfect”…

I would never pay a marketing behemoth to read/edit my kid’s essay. Does Haberman even read them herself?

I am quite shocked at the examples of the essays she has shown from previous years.

These are beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. Like they could be published in the New Yorker.

They would also be disregarded by pretty much any AO's from selective universities. They do not look anything like what a high school student would write. The tone and voice comes across as completed adult.

Unless the teacher recommendation says the student is the absolute best writer she has seen in her career, AO's would know that it is so professionally edited and modified that the essays are written by someone else.

It made me think of an old joke:

A guy goes to fishing shop and sees all the bright colorful lures and he’s like wow! and asks the shop owner "do fishes like the lures more because they’re so shiny and colorful?"

Shop guy says, I don’t sell to the fish.

Sara is selling her essays to the parents, who are impressed beyond belief when their child's essay is rewritten by her.

This also goes with her selling strategy: She is heavily focused on colleges ranked 75 and below for which essays are not going to be a big deal and probably are not going to be given much attention.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone pay for the 1-1 essay topics and 1-1 essay review?

Was it worth it?

I mean, based on the comments here, I'm guessing it is NOT worth it.

How much does she charge for this?

I was also wondering about the essay editing.

Just read a horrible criticism of her editing from a kid on Reddit too. So I’m reluctant to pay the $$$ until I get more direct feedback?

I think there are parents waxing on and on about how beautifully edited the essays are - which concerns me. I don’t think the essay is supposed to look “perfect”…

I would never pay a marketing behemoth to read/edit my kid’s essay. Does Haberman even read them herself?

I am quite shocked at the examples of the essays she has shown from previous years.

These are beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. Like they could be published in the New Yorker.

They would also be disregarded by pretty much any AO's from selective universities. They do not look anything like what a high school student would write. The tone and voice comes across as completed adult.

Unless the teacher recommendation says the student is the absolute best writer she has seen in her career, AO's would know that it is so professionally edited and modified that the essays are written by someone else.

It made me think of an old joke:

A guy goes to fishing shop and sees all the bright colorful lures and he’s like wow! and asks the shop owner "do fishes like the lures more because they’re so shiny and colorful?"

Shop guy says, I don’t sell to the fish.

Sara is selling her essays to the parents, who are impressed beyond belief when their child's essay is rewritten by her.

This also goes with her selling strategy: She is heavily focused on colleges ranked 75 and below for which essays are not going to be a big deal and probably are not going to be given much attention.

I’m not sure I believe this….

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone pay for the 1-1 essay topics and 1-1 essay review?

Was it worth it?

I mean, based on the comments here, I'm guessing it is NOT worth it.

How much does she charge for this?

I was also wondering about the essay editing.

Just read a horrible criticism of her editing from a kid on Reddit too. So I’m reluctant to pay the $$$ until I get more direct feedback?

I think there are parents waxing on and on about how beautifully edited the essays are - which concerns me. I don’t think the essay is supposed to look “perfect”…

I would never pay a marketing behemoth to read/edit my kid’s essay. Does Haberman even read them herself?

I am quite shocked at the examples of the essays she has shown from previous years.

These are beautifully written and wonderfully narrated. Like they could be published in the New Yorker.

They would also be disregarded by pretty much any AO's from selective universities. They do not look anything like what a high school student would write. The tone and voice comes across as completed adult.

Unless the teacher recommendation says the student is the absolute best writer she has seen in her career, AO's would know that it is so professionally edited and modified that the essays are written by someone else.

It made me think of an old joke:

A guy goes to fishing shop and sees all the bright colorful lures and he’s like wow! and asks the shop owner "do fishes like the lures more because they’re so shiny and colorful?"

Shop guy says, I don’t sell to the fish.

Sara is selling her essays to the parents, who are impressed beyond belief when their child's essay is rewritten by her.

This also goes with her selling strategy: She is heavily focused on colleges ranked 75 and below for which essays are not going to be a big deal and probably are not going to be given much attention.

I’m not sure I believe this….

I believe you Sara.

[Anonymous]

a few things:

1. Got reviewed essay back and it’s so powerful. Truly. Very talented team.

2. The team goes above and beyond. As an example, someone in this year‘s cohort has a kid with a language exemption. The team will anonymously call admissions officers on your kids behalf - either that they know or just the rep for the region - at the schools that the kid is applying to to figure out how this issue should be handled or addressed in the application.

3. They really do counsel clients on how to approach high school counselors on revising the “schools profile sheet” so it is not detrimental to many students. A lot of these profiles include information that may unintentionally disadvantage a lot of kids. It’s been eye-opening to see how in the weeds they get.

It’s a level of service that I’m surprised by. They do a lot of checking with admissions officers on behalf of clients.

Just my 2 cents. Being part of the group has been very helpful for us this year. Low entry cost.

If you have a junior, you may want to consider joining in January or February. The earlier you join the more likely, you are to take advantage of all of the related offers, which have been extremely helpful, along with reading comments and seeing what everyone else is working on and benefiting from the answers to the group questions.

Too late to join if you have a senior bc so much has already happened.

[Anonymous]

This thread feels like a bunch of ads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread feels like a bunch of ads.

I’m not sure who’s posting the ads but I just posted my experience. Take it for what it’s worth. I had a lot of questions before joining and I asked about them here in this thread. I also posted the questions about the essay editing and whether it was worth it.

Should I have started a new thread?

[Anonymous]

We had a good experience with her biz. I would use again

[Anonymous]

I have a junior and have been on the younger board since January. Given how helpful (not!) our school counselors are, I have found the group very useful. It has been great to have a place to ask questions and also very eye opening to see what other people are asking about and saying.

[Anonymous]

And you get to share your kids personal details with the whole group!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And you get to share your kids personal details with the whole group!

Not anymore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And you get to share your kids personal details with the whole group!

Not anymore.

Really? I will consider if I don’t have to put private information online in a group chat or post or whatever.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And you get to share your kids personal details with the whole group!

Not anymore.

Can u explain?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And you get to share your kids personal details with the whole group!

Not anymore.

Can u explain?

+2

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And you get to share your kids personal details with the whole group!

Not anymore.

Can u explain?

My FB name is anonymous/ pseudonym. The only truly identifying info I’ve ever posted was the Soundbite and 3-4 essay topics for essay approval but used no names (for me or kid). Not at all identifiable at all.

I’ve also emailed directly if it’s sensitive or personal info which she’s mentioned on the board when she has follow up questions.

Other questions (eg on EC/activities wording): I don’t put all that much info out there.

We did 1-on-1 and main essay edit. If you do sign up early, you’ll get Sara. If you wait until summer, you won’t.
If you want Sara, join AN by Feb/march, so she can do your 1-on-1 and then she’ll do essay.